"Drank In My Cup" Producers Sound M.O.B.'s Top 5 Beats

The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place - lots of times, you're even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good - so once a week we're going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Something you always wanted to ask a rapper? Email introducingliston@gmail.com.

This Week's Producers: Sound M.O.B. (Brandon Tillman, otherwise known as Pyro, and Raul Gonzalez, otherwise known as DJ Ryu)

This Week's Subject: Constructing hits.

Ask A Producer: So you guys made the beats for the two songs that have really established Kirko Bangz as a genuine, marketable artist. They are entirely intoxicating and entirely effective. The questions, then:

This doesn't seem like the type of success that you wander into aimlessly. You had to have set out with a specific goal in mind when you were making "Drank In My Cup." What was the primary objective there?

Sound M.O.B.: The primary objective was to try and top the success of the previous single, "What Yo Name Iz." We had a goal in mind to make something that our home city of Houston would like as well have mass appeal, so we locked ourselves in the studio until we did that. The end result was

"Drank In My Cup."

AAR: "Drank In My Cup" is obviously the greatest thing in the world (or so Kirko's fans seem to say on Twitter). Can you name five other beats that you guys have found particularly inspiring?

SM: That's a tough one, but we will give it a shot (in no particular order):

5. Drake's "Fear," produced by DJ Khalil

Everything from the live strings to unquantized groove of the drums to the emotion conveyed through the beat alone was stupid (in a good way).

4. Aaliyah's "One In A Million," produced by Timbaland

Timbo was so far ahead of his time. Who would put a baby crying in a beat? That was genius. And the whole vibe of the beat was out of the planet.

3. The Game's "The Doctor's Advocate," produced by Jonathan "J.R." Rotem

J.R. Rotem supplied that original West Coast feel. The pianos on the track really pull you in. It's something about that emotion.

2. Kanye West's "Slow Jamz," produced by Kanye West

Mr. West really showed his versatility with this one. This is just good music. Song really embodied a musical aspect that anyone could relate to. Just pure dopeness!

1. Jay-Z's "Excuse Me," produced by The Neptunes

The Neptunes changed the sound of sexy with this one.

"Drank In My Cup" is available on iTunes. It's probably going to sell out, bro. If you want to be a megastar, give your money to Sound M.O.B. To do so, follow Pyro on Twitter at @Pyro_SoundMOB.